Post by Okwes on Jan 12, 2007 12:09:26 GMT -5
Speakout: Colorado's Indian reservations in need of more policing,
judges By Troy A. Eid
December 2, 2006
www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/speak_out/article/0,2777,DRMN_2397\
0_5184290,00.html
<http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/speak_out/article/0,2777,DRMN_239\
70_5184290,00.html> TOWAOC - At first glance, this picturesque
village, nestled beneath Sleeping Ute Mountain near the Four Corners
monument and a short drive from Mesa Verde National Park, might seem an
unlikely candidate to be the murder capital of Colorado.
Just over 2,000 tribal members live on the entire Ute Mountain Ute
Indian Reservation south of Cortez, many in or near Towaoc (pronounced
toy- ACK), seat of the tribal government. Yet this year alone, there
have been a staggering five murders and one unexplained death on that
reservation.
Immediately to the east, the Southern Ute Indian Reservation south of
Durango is home to about 1,400 tribal members. Two victims have been
murdered there so far this year, including an infant thrown against a
wall. The recent death of a third person is still being investigated.
Taken together, the murder rate for Colorado's two Indian nations is 20
times higher than the state average. It rivals the number of murders in
Colorado Springs, the state's second-largest city with a population of
360,890.
What accounts for this appalling rate of violent crime in southwestern
Colorado?
Both tribes would benefit from more boots-on-the-ground law enforcement.
This is especially true on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation, which lacks
its own tribal police force. Just five police officers from the Bureau
of Indian Affairs, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, patrol
the entire 600,000-acre reservation.
Some tribes, such as Southern Ute, have created their own professional
police departments and court systems. For more than two decades,
however, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has chosen not to have its own
tribal law enforcement officers and judges and instead relies entirely
on the BIA.
Unfortunately for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, BIA's tribal court system
has operated only sporadically for the past few years.
Federal law ordinarily governs felonies committed on Indian
reservations. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has the lead role for
handling most felony investigations on Colorado's two Indian
reservations. The lone FBI agent assigned to southwestern Colorado does
a superb job under extraordinarily trying circumstances. So do the two
assistant U.S. attorneys in Durango who prosecute major crimes on the
reservations - functioning like deputy district attorneys do elsewhere
in Colorado.
These and other federal officials attempting to serve justice on
Colorado's two Indian reservations face many challenges.
Yet no obstacle to the equitable and effective administration of justice
is more difficult than this: There is not a single permanent federal
trial court judge anywhere in western Colorado, or anywhere outside of
Denver.
Restricting federal trial judges to the state capital is remarkable even
for a large Western state. Even far less populous states such as
Wyoming, Idaho and Montana have long provided courthouses with permanent
trial judges in more than one geographic region.
In contrast, the nearest permanent federal court to our fellow citizens
who happen to live in southwestern Colorado is up to nine hours away by
car, in downtown Denver. Perhaps nowhere else in the entire United
States south of Alaska must people travel so far to serve on, or be
served by, a federal trial jury or grand jury.
A lone part-time federal magistrate in Durango provides invaluable
support to the criminal justice system. But in nearly every case,
witnesses to violent crimes and their alleged perpetrators must still
travel repeatedly to Denver. So do federal agents and prosecutors who,
in the ultimate irony, are often tethered to the federal courthouse in
Denver when violent crimes are occurring in southwestern Colorado.
Yet another challenge involves the rising use and trafficking of
methamphetamine on Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute reservations. Gangs
based off-reservation sometimes offer free samples of crystal meth - or
"ice," as it is known - specifically targeting Native American people.
As users get hooked, they turn to dealing and other crimes
on-reservation to sustain their addiction.
Difficult though these challenges are, there are promising signs of
change after so many years of neglect. U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar met
recently with Alberto Gonzales, attorney general of the United States,
to discuss strengthening federal law enforcement and judicial resources
for southwestern Colorado. Leaders from the FBI, Drug Enforcement
Administration, U.S. Attorney's Office, and other federal agencies are
working more closely than ever before with the elected leaders of the
Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes and their representatives.
For those of us serving in federal law enforcement, this is a case where
the proof of our good intentions must be measured by real results. Too
many lives have already been lost in the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain
Ute nations. This is a state and national disgrace, and it must end. To
cynics who say it will take too long to turn this tragedy around, our
answer must be: Let's get started.
Troy A. Eid is the U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado.
judges By Troy A. Eid
December 2, 2006
www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/speak_out/article/0,2777,DRMN_2397\
0_5184290,00.html
<http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/speak_out/article/0,2777,DRMN_239\
70_5184290,00.html> TOWAOC - At first glance, this picturesque
village, nestled beneath Sleeping Ute Mountain near the Four Corners
monument and a short drive from Mesa Verde National Park, might seem an
unlikely candidate to be the murder capital of Colorado.
Just over 2,000 tribal members live on the entire Ute Mountain Ute
Indian Reservation south of Cortez, many in or near Towaoc (pronounced
toy- ACK), seat of the tribal government. Yet this year alone, there
have been a staggering five murders and one unexplained death on that
reservation.
Immediately to the east, the Southern Ute Indian Reservation south of
Durango is home to about 1,400 tribal members. Two victims have been
murdered there so far this year, including an infant thrown against a
wall. The recent death of a third person is still being investigated.
Taken together, the murder rate for Colorado's two Indian nations is 20
times higher than the state average. It rivals the number of murders in
Colorado Springs, the state's second-largest city with a population of
360,890.
What accounts for this appalling rate of violent crime in southwestern
Colorado?
Both tribes would benefit from more boots-on-the-ground law enforcement.
This is especially true on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation, which lacks
its own tribal police force. Just five police officers from the Bureau
of Indian Affairs, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, patrol
the entire 600,000-acre reservation.
Some tribes, such as Southern Ute, have created their own professional
police departments and court systems. For more than two decades,
however, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has chosen not to have its own
tribal law enforcement officers and judges and instead relies entirely
on the BIA.
Unfortunately for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, BIA's tribal court system
has operated only sporadically for the past few years.
Federal law ordinarily governs felonies committed on Indian
reservations. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has the lead role for
handling most felony investigations on Colorado's two Indian
reservations. The lone FBI agent assigned to southwestern Colorado does
a superb job under extraordinarily trying circumstances. So do the two
assistant U.S. attorneys in Durango who prosecute major crimes on the
reservations - functioning like deputy district attorneys do elsewhere
in Colorado.
These and other federal officials attempting to serve justice on
Colorado's two Indian reservations face many challenges.
Yet no obstacle to the equitable and effective administration of justice
is more difficult than this: There is not a single permanent federal
trial court judge anywhere in western Colorado, or anywhere outside of
Denver.
Restricting federal trial judges to the state capital is remarkable even
for a large Western state. Even far less populous states such as
Wyoming, Idaho and Montana have long provided courthouses with permanent
trial judges in more than one geographic region.
In contrast, the nearest permanent federal court to our fellow citizens
who happen to live in southwestern Colorado is up to nine hours away by
car, in downtown Denver. Perhaps nowhere else in the entire United
States south of Alaska must people travel so far to serve on, or be
served by, a federal trial jury or grand jury.
A lone part-time federal magistrate in Durango provides invaluable
support to the criminal justice system. But in nearly every case,
witnesses to violent crimes and their alleged perpetrators must still
travel repeatedly to Denver. So do federal agents and prosecutors who,
in the ultimate irony, are often tethered to the federal courthouse in
Denver when violent crimes are occurring in southwestern Colorado.
Yet another challenge involves the rising use and trafficking of
methamphetamine on Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute reservations. Gangs
based off-reservation sometimes offer free samples of crystal meth - or
"ice," as it is known - specifically targeting Native American people.
As users get hooked, they turn to dealing and other crimes
on-reservation to sustain their addiction.
Difficult though these challenges are, there are promising signs of
change after so many years of neglect. U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar met
recently with Alberto Gonzales, attorney general of the United States,
to discuss strengthening federal law enforcement and judicial resources
for southwestern Colorado. Leaders from the FBI, Drug Enforcement
Administration, U.S. Attorney's Office, and other federal agencies are
working more closely than ever before with the elected leaders of the
Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes and their representatives.
For those of us serving in federal law enforcement, this is a case where
the proof of our good intentions must be measured by real results. Too
many lives have already been lost in the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain
Ute nations. This is a state and national disgrace, and it must end. To
cynics who say it will take too long to turn this tragedy around, our
answer must be: Let's get started.
Troy A. Eid is the U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado.